Yukiko Goda

LMCB, MRC Cell Biology Unit & Department of Neuroscience ,Physiology & Pharmacology, UCL

Email: y.goda@ucl.ac.uk

1985 – BSc University of Toronto
1991 – PhD Stanford University
1991 – Postdoctoral Fellow, The Salk Institute
1997 – Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
2002 – Group Leader, MRC Cell Biology Unit, UCL

Regulating synapse form and function

Synapse, a specialized zone of contact between two neurons, is the site at which communication takes place in the brain. Although neurons have reached the state of terminal differentiation, synapses continually form and are eliminated depending on the pattern of neural activity. The goal of our research is to delineate how experience in the form of synaptic activity shapes the structural organization of central synapses, and in turn, determines the connectivity pattern of neuronal networks. We hope to provide a molecular link for understanding processes that are thought to involve controlled changes in neuronal connectivity in the adult brain, such as memory consolidation.

Our research program focuses on the structure-function relationship of synaptic junction at three levels. I. The first goal is to understand how the regulators of actin cytoskeleton and synapse adhesion proteins that link to it modulate the efficacy of synaptic transmission. We focus on the mechanisms by which integrins, cadherin-catenin complex, and actin signaling proteins modify neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic receptor activity. II. We investigate how synapse adhesion proteins and modulators of actin dynamics, in turn, mediate activity-induced morphological plasticity of presynaptic boutons, in particular, their redistribution to create new presynaptic structures. Our hypothesis is that synaptic cell adhesion molecules transduce signals to initiate a morphological change that is driven by the presynaptic actin. III. We address the nature of inter-synaptic organization with the premise that individual synapses are not strictly autonomous and that coordination between synapses plays an important role in shaping and maintaining functional neural networks. We study the axonal and dendritic mechanisms by which neighboring synapses communicate and their synaptic strengths are regulated.

As a main experimental system we use dissociated hippocampal neurons grown in culture. Cultured neurons form synaptic connections with physiological properties that are virtually indistinguishable from those found in intact tissue. They are well suited to our research since individual synaptic connections can be readily identified and their activity monitored. The research projects in our lab make use of the tools of cell biology and neuroscience. By combining electrophysiological and optical recordings with cellular and molecular intervention, we hope to delineate the mechanisms of activity-dependent modulation of neuronal connectivity in a simple cellular system.